Nokia announces extended partnership with Carl Zeiss for future smartphones

By Rich Edmonds
last updated

Nokia has announced an extension to their exclusive partnership with Carl Zeiss, which will lead to more collaboration with future smartphones. The two companies have been working together closely and their efforts have seen the N8 and Nokia 808 PureView (set to launch this year) come to life, blowing away the market with advanced smartphone optics.

Jo Harlow, executive vice president of Nokia Smart Devices, had the following to comment on Carl Zeiss' contribution.

"Carl Zeiss was a crucial partner in the creation of the first PureView experience. The benefits of our ongoing collaboration will be more PureView innovation and further advancements in smartphone imaging in the coming months and years."

As well as PureView, the same technology has been used in the Nokia Lumia Windows Phone family. Since the Nokia 808 runs Symbian it's certainly an exciting time for those who await for Windows Phones with better quality shooters, especially as Nokia has since confirmed that PureView technology will be coming to Windows Phone since the demonstration was presented at MWC 2012.

Michael Kaschke, CEO at Carl Zeiss AG, followed up with some praise.

"When joining forces with Nokia in 2005, we wanted to push the boundaries of mobile photography. Looking back at seven years of successful partnership, we are proud of the innovations and outstanding products created in this shared journey. Today we are celebrating the extension of our collaboration with a new technology that sets another real benchmark in this sector."

What would you like to see from the two companies in the future?

Source: Nokia

Rich Edmonds
Rich Edmonds
Senior Editor, PC Build

Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.

28 Comments
  • 41 megapixel lumia :D
  • How about some firmware updates to fix the Lumia 900 issues?
  • I am with you get me some updates for this d^m lumis 900 ziess my a$$
  • This good news because the N8 and Purview are the best camera phones in the world. However, I wish Nokia would fix the moving lense issue in the next batch of 900s that's causes the awful rattle when the phone vibrates. You can test it switching between camera and video mode. If you hear a click, your phone will rattle when the phone vibrates
  • I hear a very very faint click. Idk what the vibe is supposed to sound like but will this moving lense be a problem? If so I might exchange my phone
  • The phone vibrates like that cuz the solid polycarbonate body everything fits tightly
  • If you hear a click at all when changing between camera and video mode, when the phone vibrates, the lense will move and cause that awful rattle sound. It makes the phone sound like something is loose inside the phone. You can try exchanging it, but from what I've read and seen testing in AT&T stores, it appears to be a manufacturing issue on most of the first phones produced. Its just a quality control issue. When you're the first to buy, you inherently become the quality control beta testers. HP taught me that unfortunately. :-)
  • Sigh, anyone know if it's been addressed at all yet? I don't want to exchange it just to have the same problem.
  • I heard the faint click on my white lumia. I did the switch between record & camera for at least 2 minutes, change my ringer to vibrate, called my mobile from my desk phone(sounds like normal vibration), took pictures...lense appears to fine
  • Pity they didn't use this tech in their flagship Lumia 900, oh wait....
  • Pity indeed. After all, the beta smartphone era is over.
  • My next phone and since the rumous has it's going to be end of this year my contract will be due for renewal!
  • Camera update needed bad, pretty sure it's not the optics
  • Nokia can use lens from Hubble Telescope too for me, but if they don't use a BSI back sensor (5$ more?) photo with low light (after 18pm or indoor) are ridiculous if compared to 4S :( ... My friends with 4s always joke my Lumia 800 for this and I cannot stand it !!!
  • I think it's the OS that craps the pictures, not the hardware.
  • It is not the os. I have a titan and my wife has a 900. The titan takes a better picture. If you tweak the camera settings in the 900 you can come close. Nokia needs a firmware update to fix it
  • I hope this partnership includes using BSI sensors on their camera from here on out.  The optics mean nothing if the sensor is junk.
  • The Lumia models does not make justice to the Carl Zeiss name. It's just a name without meaning on our phones unfortunately. They had the chance to give us awesome camera but blew it. Getting better and better every update though (Lumia 800).
  • Lumia 900 with Zeiss frankly sucks right now definitely needs an update or a good basic tutorial for the everyday user who just wants to point and shoot
  • Agreed.
  • A good or better camera for wp7
  • They really need better firmware for the camera. I have to shoot video to get an image of exactly what I see on the screen. When I take a picture, it tries to improve the image buy ruins the shots by softening or applying filters! When I shoot a picture, I want the image that I see on the screen. It's obvious that the camera can handle it, it's already on the display!
  • Coming from the HTC Titan I for the Lumia 900, the image quality is truly a let down for me. I dig the phone but the images it takes are not very good. True, I may need to understand how to set this camera but if I need to twiddle with settings, it truly defeats the value of having a camera button on the phone. I am considering springing the money for the Titan II at this point. Nokia truly should address this in a firmware update.
  • Are you on contract?
  • Yep. I am on contract.
  • This. This is what I like to hear. I'd actually like to see the same continuous shot like that featured on the HTC One S. That if nothing else, but I really want them to bring something completely new to to the smartphone camera business.
  • READ THIS if you want beautiful pictures from your Nokia Lumia 900!!
     
    All you have to do to get great pictures is the following tweak:
    * Go into the camera app.
    * Go into settings
    * Change the ISO to 100.
    * Save settings.
     
    Wala, great pictures!
  • An APS-C sensor :)
     
     
    If anyone can do it, it's Zeiss.